Making history at The Big M for International Women’s Day
by Debbie Little
The Meadowlands will make history on Saturday night (March 7) when, for the first time, an all-female broadcast team will take to the airwaves with a celebration of International Women’s Day (IWD), presented by Clinton Tractor.
Announcer Melissa Keith will be making history of her own that night, becoming the first female to call an entire Meadowlands card, while Meadow Twaddle will once again be in the co-host seat on the Sam McKee Memorial Broadcast Set, with Heather Wilder doing paddock interviews and Kiara Morgan offering her analysis on FanDuel TV. Morgan, Twaddle, and Wilder will be at those posts at The Meadowlands tonight (March 6) as well, prepping for Saturday. Keith will call four races tonight alongside the Hall of Fame voice of The Big M, Ken Warkentin.
Joining that core four will be trainer Annie Stoebe, who will be sharing content on Facebook Live to give everyone a behind-the-scenes look at Races 2 and 5, which that night will consist of all female drivers. Stoebe is no stranger to The Meadowlands TV team, as she just co-hosted again on the broadcast last Friday (Feb. 27).
International Women’s Day is observed on March 8 as part of Women’s History Month.
When asked about this history-making production, Keith said, “Being part of an all-female team that night is a good sign about women’s progress in harness racing being recognized.”
As the track announcer at Ottawa, ON’s Rideau Carleton Raceway, Keith, the only full-time female harness race caller in North America, is used to being behind the mic and, in fact, called three races at The Meadowlands last year for their IWD celebration.
“Calling races at The Meadowlands is a real privilege,” Keith said. “Calling an entire card is a surreal experience. This will be the first races I’ve called since December.
“This will be my third year at Rideau Carleton. [Former announcer] John MacMillan is being inducted into the Kingston Sports Hall of Fame this year, and he has left me big shoes to fill.
“As an intermittent announcer since 2018 at various tracks, many in the industry have helped me find those opportunities. Sugar Doyle at Western Fair, Steve Fitzsimmons at Truro Raceway, Gabe Prewitt at Pompano, Ken Warkentin and Dave Little at The Meadowlands, Ian Fleming and Jessica Carnochan at Clinton Raceway, and especially, John MacMillan and Peter Andrusek at Rideau Carleton, have all been supportive.”
Co-hosting at The Big M is becoming old hat for Twaddle, who will be doing her eighth and ninth shows, respectively, this weekend.
“I feel incredibly proud to be part of an all-female team at The Meadowlands, especially on International Women’s Day,” Twaddle said. “The Meadowlands is such a premier stage in our sport, and to have women leading the conversation, analyzing the races, and being front and center on a night like that is really meaningful. It speaks to how far racing has come and the opportunities that are continuing to open up.
“I’m grateful to be alongside such talented, hard working women, and I hope it inspires the next generation to see that there’s a place for them in this industry.”
Wilder, who has conducted interviews from many venues across North America, as well as Ireland and Wales, will be making her Big M paddock debut and said she’s really looking forward to this weekend.
“I can’t wait, I think it’s wonderful that The Meadowlands is hosting such an event, and I’m honored to be a part of it,” Wilder said. “I have watched it consistently for years. I don’t watch a lot of racing when we’re [stabled] in Florida [for the winter], but I never miss an International Women’s Day event from The Big M.”
Wilder is a well-respected horsewoman who is currently down in Florida as part of a team with her husband, Mike Wilder, and her father, Dan Altmeyer. She is also a correspondent for Harness Racing Update’s Twos In Training.
“Of course, every interview is different, but talking to horsemen and women is what I truly enjoy,” Heather said. “I find that I can learn something new every day, and I gravitate towards the different ways that people go about competing in our sport. I believe that you can never know everything, and it’s important to listen to everyone’s point of view. There are so many different ways to get to the winner’s circle, and I’m interested in all the various ways horsepeople complete those tasks and put their best product on the track.”
As the paddock reporter, it will be Heather’s job to interview some of the 18 women — Marie-Claude Auger, Candace Brandstatter, Doreen Dailey, Julia Eaton, Helene Engblom, Cristina Grubich, Lauren Harmon, Jackie Ingrassia, Christina Johnson, Leslie Joyce, Veronica Merton, Marianna Monaco, Shannon O’Sullivan, Tasmyn Potter, Alexandra Sarkine, Elizabeth Snyder, McKenzie Sowers, and Lauren Tritton — competing in the two IWD races, and possibly other women working in the sport. There should be no shortage of ladies for Heather to speak with on camera since, in addition to those competing that night, The Big M has quite a few in operations and as racing officials.
“These are women I am friends with, a fan of, work with, and have known for years in various career capacities,” Heather said. “Two of the women that are part of the broadcast, Meadow Twaddle and Kiara Morgan, I have known since they were babies, and I’m incredibly proud and impressed by their multi-faceted careers.”
As the face of FanDuel TV this weekend, Morgan will be making her Meadowlands debut remotely from her home base in Ohio.
“I love that The Meadowlands puts together this night to spotlight the women in our sport,” she said. “I’m excited to be a part of it this year and represent our industry as a female, as I know it really shows the public just how much women are and can be involved in harness racing.
“I’m excited for my debut at The Big M. It’s definitely a new adventure for myself as I’m normally hands-on with the horses — training, driving, in the barn — but this is giving me the opportunity to try new things in the business. I know I can take my knowledge from being on the track and transfer it to analyzing and handicapping races.”
Morgan, currently best known as a driver/trainer and daughter of respected horseman Virgil Morgan, Jr., said she is looking forward to the challenge of being an analyst for FanDuel TV.
“In my own opinion, I would have to say ultimately driving in a race is harder than talking about a race, although after sitting behind these horses so much it has become my second nature,” she said. “I’ve dedicated a lot of my life to these horses and there’s not many things I would rather do than grab the lines and sit down in the bike, and I know a lot of people can agree with me on that.
“Handicapping a race can be time consuming at times for me but that’s only because I try to research each horse as much as I can to get the best information on him/her. As with anything, I know that talking about horses in each race will become easier with time.”
Stoebe, who has quite the following on social media, said she is looking forward to sharing the excitement of the IWD races with the fans.
“I am thrilled to be involved in what could be one of the most female run events in the sport,” she said. “It’s going to be fun to give people a true live inside view of all the behind-the-scenes things that happen and all the excitement to come.”
Note: It will be my great honor to anchor the IWD broadcast as the host on set with Meadow Twaddle. I would like to thank The Meadowlands’ Jeff Gural and Jason Settlemoir for continuing to raise the bar each year and make their celebration of International Women’s Day so special.
